TheFishers Island Ferry Districtis looking to replace one of its boat ramps and build a new ferry, with costs projected to top $20 million.
The boat ramp project is slated for the upcoming fall and the lowest bid cost $2.7 million. Geb Cook, Fishers Island Ferry District manager, said the district had only $1.1 million set aside.
A bond petition resolution for $1.6 million to help finance the ramp will be up for vote on the Town Board’s agenda on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Mr. Cook said a new ferry and upgraded boat ramp would replace infrastructure that dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, respectively.
Fishers Island, located seven miles southeast of Connecticut’s coast, is governed by Southold Town and has roughly 250 year-round residents. The 4.2-square-mile island is accessible by boat only from New London, Conn., after transferring from the Cross Sound Ferry.
Fishers Island Town Justice Kate Stevens, who was elected to the Town Board last November, told The Suffolk Times “both projects are essential to … transportation infrastructure” on the island.
The ramp was evaluated by structural engineers two years ago and was deemed to have three to five years remaining life expectancy at the time, Mr. Cook said.
“This ramp is an alternate ramp that is used weekly on a regular basis. It’s our go-to ramp in storm situations where the wind is out of the north or the west,” Mr. Cook said. “And we can’t use the main ramp in those conditions.”
It is also primarily used by theNorth Star ferry, which is chartered by outside contractors, such as trucks carrying asphalt needed to pave the island’s airport also utilize the North Star ferry. “Our ferry cannot accommodate all the concrete that is needed for the foundations that build these houses,” Mr. Cook said. He noted that about 10 homes are currently being built on the island.
He expressed the ferry district’s interest in pursuing coastal resiliency funds to help mitigate costs for the boat ramp.
Source: The Suffolk Times
